Water-motor and dam.



J. W. LARIMORE.

WAIER MOTOR AND DAM.

APPLlCATlON HLED AUG-23. me. mssww FEB. 11.1918.

1,278,174. Patented Sept. 10,1918.

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J. W. LARIMORE.

WATER MOTOR AND DAM. APPLICATION FILED 6.23. 1.916. RENEWED FEB. n, 1918.

1 278, 1 74 Patented Sept. 10 1918.

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JOHN W. LARIMORE, 0F FOOTVILLE, WISCONSIN.

WATER-MOTOR AND DAM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, .1918."

Application filed August 23, 1916, Serial No. 116,497. Renewed February 11, 1918. semi No. 216,651.

sary to build an expensive dam in connection with the water motor, and by means of which *the present device may be placed across the stream and permit the direction of water to the motor as may be desired.

' A further object of this invention is the provision of-a dam which is provided with gatesthat are readily released during high Water or flood time, so that the least possible resistance is ofiered to the current, but which under ordinary conditions, will sufliciently stop and deflect the fiow of water to the rotor or motor, so that the maximum efliciency will 7 result.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete apparatus, the dam gates being locked.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1, dotted lines illustrating the positionv of the parts when the gates are open.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the rotor vanes showing the method of releasing and locking the same.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 10 and 11 represent respectively the two inner supports and the two: outer supports for the present structure.

- Mounted in the bearings 12 carried upon said supports is an oscillatory shaft 13 which in turn is providedwith the two pairs of upstanding arms 14 having mounted therein upon the respective rods 15 for swinging movement the gates 16. The structure here shown is designed for the use of two of these ates. r g Connected to the shaft 13 is an arm 17 which in turn is operably connected through V in the bearings 21 and 22, so that the handle 23 may be'manipulated to cause the shaft 13 to move the gates 16 from the full to dotted line positions, as shown in Fig. 4. -Where it is only desired, however, to release the lower free end of each of the gates 16, there is mounted for swinging movement upon the shaft 13 the pivoted catches 24, one

nectedtogether by a rod 25 for movement in unison.

Operably connected to the rod 25 is a lever 26 pivoted at 27 to one of the frame members 10 and in ready access, so that the catches 24 may be simultaneously operated to release the gates 16 to swing upon their supports 15 and thus form practically no resistance to 1 the current fiow. v

J ournaled between the supporting memhere 10 is the shaft 28 which has fast thereto the cylinder 29 which in turn has swingingly connected thereto as at 30 the vanes 31, each one of which is provided with a lug 32 for or more to each rate, these catches being concoiiperation with the locking pawls or dogs 33 which are'adapted to be manipulated to cause the vanes to be held in close contact permit the vanes to fall and assume the position as shown in Fig. 3 when being acted upon by the current, the lug 32 cooperating with-the periphery of the cylinder 29 to prevent the vane from going down a certain distance when acted upon by the water.

Mounted also between the supporting members 12 at the bottom thereof is the concaved member 33 which may be metal or formed of concrete, and thus provide a means for directing the water to act upon the vanes and thus impart the maximum power thereto. Mounted upon for rotation with the shaft 28 is a large gear 34 which is in mesh with the intermediate pinion 35 to in turn rotate the inion 36 fast to the driven shaft 37, whidh shaft 37 is adapted to becar'ried to any desired point for-transmitting power to any desired class of machinery.

In order to stop the present mechanism or to permit the same tooperate,'th ere is pivoted to one of the supports 10 as at 38 a lever-39, whose terminal40 is opposed by the spring 41 so as to normally hold the lever in the full line position as shown in Fig. 5, said lever being provided with the kerf 42 for engagement with'the pin 43 of the lever 39 to lock the roller against rotation when the parts are in full line position as shown in Fig. 6.

From the foregoing description. it is evident that when it is desired to release the gates 16 to assume the dotted line position in Fig. 4', it is merely necessary to operate the feed screw 20 and thus bodily lower the arms 1% so that the gate 16 will swing freely or where it is desired merely to release the gates 16 so that they will swing upon the supports, the lever 26 is operated to release the catches 2 1.

By this means, the gates 16 may be regulated according to the current flow and to form the least possible resistance during high water or floods.

It is also apparent with a structure of this character that it is unnecessary to build expensive dams and the present device may be mounted as one unit across the stream and act as a dam for directing the flow of water to the rotor.

What I claim as new is:

1.. In a device of the character described the combination of a plurality of spaced supports, a shaft journaled adjacent the lower ends of said supports, a plurality of pairs of arms carried by said shaft, a gate swingingly connected in the free ends of each pair of arms, means carried by the shaft for engaging the free ends of the gates to hold the gates from swinging movement, means for swinging the shaft, and a rotor mounted in two of said supports to receive the water deflected by the gates.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a plurality of spaced supports, a shaft journaled adjacent the lower ends of said supports, a plurality of pairs of arms carried by said shaft, a gate swingingly connected in the free ends of each pair of arms, means carried by the shaft for engaging the free ends of the gates to hold the gates from swinging movement, means for swinging the shaft, a shaft journaled between two of said supports, a cylinder carried by said shaft, a plurality of pivoted vanes carried by the cylinder, means for locking the vanes in extended position, means for locking the cylinder against rotation, and a driven shaft opera hly connected to the rotor.

3. In a collapsible dam, the combination of a supporting structure, a rock shaft jonrnaled adjacent. the lower portion thereof, a plurality of pairs of arms fixed to the rock shaft, a gate pivotally connected to the free end of each pair of arms with its free end. adjacent the rock shaft, a catch mounted upon the rock shaft for engaging the free end of each gate, manually controlled means connected to the catches for simultaneously actuating the catches, a crank carried by the rock shaft, a link connected to the crank, a feed screw connected to the supporting structure, means for rotating the feed screw, and a feed nut mounted upon the feed screw and operably con nected to the link, whereby the rotation of the feed screw operates the rock shaft.

r. ln a device of the class described in combination a support, a horizontal. shaft journaled in said support at its lower end. a pair of opposed arms fixed upon said shaft, a horizontal pivot rod secured to the upper ends of said arms, a gate swingingly mounted on said pivot rod, an arm extending at right angles to said support, a lever pivoted to said arm, a catch pivotally mounted on said shaft and arranged to swing thereupon, said catch adapted to straddle said gate so as to lock it against swinging and to move out of engagement with said gate so as to allow the latter to swing and a link arm pivotally connecting said lever and said catch.

In a device of the class described, in ('(Hlllllllfllllfill, a pair of spaced apart vertical walls. a horizontal shaft mounted forwardly of the lower end of said vertical walls, a pair of arms fixed upon said shaft, a gate mounted between and supported by said arms, a crank fixed to said shaft and ex tending upwardly in back of said gate, bearings secured against one of said vertical walls, a feed screw mounted in said bearings. an operating handle on said feed screw, said screw being held against longitudinal movei'nent, a nut arranged to travel on said feed screw as the latter turns, a lug depending from said nut, and a link arm pivotally con nected at opposite ends to said lug and to said crank.

(3. In a device of the kind described, in combination a frame, a shaft journaled in said frame, a cylinder fixed on said shaft, radial lugs extending at spaced apart points peripherally of said cylinder, and a series of arcuat-e vanes having angular lugs fulcrumed onto said first named lugs and each arranged to swing to a perpendicular position until its lug engages the periphery of said cylinder whereupon. said vane is held against movement in one direction.

in testimony whereof I afiix my sigm'ttnre.

JOHN W. LARIMORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. i 

